Analyzing Oakland Raiders’ Best Trade Options with 4th Pick in NFL Draft

The Oakland Raiders have a big decision to make in the upcoming draft. The team has the fourth overall pick, and there are a lot of intriguing players that will be available at that spot. But with a roster so short on reliable performers, the team has to consider trading the pick.

The Raiders have to come out of the first round with a player who can step in and contribute right away. What they have to figure out is how best to accomplish this. For the first round to be a success, it might have to be from somewhere outside of the No. 4 spot.

 

What is Oakland dealing with at No. 4 overall?

There are far too many variables in any draft to make any sort of definite decisions. However, there are some knowns that the Raiders can work with.

As of now, this is what we know:

In order, the teams picking ahead of Oakland are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Tennessee Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The top four prospects play three positions: quarterback (Oregon's Marcus Mariota and Florida State's Jameis Winston), defensive end (USC's Leonard Williams) and wide receiver (Alabama's Amari Cooper). Tampa Bay will not select a wide receiver. Tampa Bay and Tennessee both need franchise quarterbacks. Jacksonville will not take a quarterback. Tampa Bay and Tennessee need an upgrade at defensive end. Jacksonville already has a reliable defensive end in Sen'Derrick Marks, but it could consider pairing him with Williams. Oakland needs an upgrade at defensive end and wide receiver and will not select a quarterback. This information provides an idea of what Oakland is dealing with at the top of the draft, what options this creates for teams later in the first round and how this can affect different trade scenarios.

 

Should Oakland try to trade up?

Trading up is a real option for the Raiders. It seemed for years as if Oakland never had its full slate of picks. But thi...

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